Pallet



H. VISSERS Aug. 23, 1966 PALLET Filed Sept. 27, 1965 FIG.2

INVENTOR HERBERT vfs sER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,267,883 PALLETHerbert Vissers, Nieuw Vennep, Netherlands, assignor toLandbouwwerktuigenen Machinefabriek H. Vissers N.V., Nieuw Vennep,Netherlands, a company of the Netherlands Filed Sept. 27, 1965, Ser. No.490,320 Claims priority, application Netherlands, Nov. 12, 1964,6,413,163 1 Claim. (Cl. 108-53) The invention relates to a palletconsisting of a top plate and a bottom plate with intermediate spacingelements, said plates along their circumference being connected to eachother for obtaining a space for accommodating a filling and supportinglegs being provided at the bottom plate. With a known pallet of thiskind the supporting legs render it possible to enter the fork of a forklift truck at each side of the pallet below the bottom plate for raisingand displacing the pallet with the load thereon.

The invention has for its object to obtain a pallet of small weightwhich still has a large load carrying capacity. According to theinvention the spacing elements are constituted by hollow projections atthe top plate, said projections being open at their top and extenddownwards in order to fit into corresponding but lower projections atthe bottom plate, said latter projections constituting the supportinglegs. With said construction of a pallet the top plate and the bottomplate by the interfitting hollow projections at the top plate and thebottom plate are locked against displacement relatively to each otherand thereby the pallet is stifiened against bending and torsion forces.Moreover, the pallets by the provision of the interfitting hollowprojections are adapted to be stacked to form a stack of small height.

The invention will be further described with reference to theaccompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a palletpartly in vertical section and partly in side view.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the pallet shown in FIG. 1 on a smaller scale.

The top plate 1, which, e.g., consists of a synthetic material armouredwith fibres presents a circumferential rim 2 and downwards extendinghollow tapered projections 3 which in the embodiment shown are providedin three rows and three projections.

The bottom plate 4 which also may consist of synthetic material has alsoa circumferential rim 5 and hollow tapered projections 6 of less heightthan the projections 3, which latter fit into the projections 6 of thebottom plate. The space formed between the plates 1 and 4 contains afilling 9 of e.g., hard foam plastic, straw, corrugated board or likematerial, such as is used for panels. In this way a light and strongpallet of large load carrying capacity is obtained.

The plates 1 and 4 may be united to each other at their circumferentialrims 2 and 5. For draining water from the hollow projections 3 thebottom of said projections and also that of the projections 6 have anopening 7. In the corner between the projections 6 and the bottom plate4 a hoisting lug 8 may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 1 the projections of the upper pallet are taken up inthe hollow projections of the lower pallet when stacking the pallet sothat a stable stack of small height is obtained.

Instead of artificial material also thin sheet metal may be used for thepallets.

It is to be noted that instead of a circular cross section theprojections may also have an oblong or a rectangular section with wellrounded corners. As the projections 3 of the top plate fit into theprojections 6 of the bottom plate the wall of the supporting legs of thepallet is doubled. The reinforcement of the legs obtained thereby maystill be increased by thickening the wall of the plates at thetransition of the projections 6 in the flat part of the plate and ifdesired also at the transition of the projections 3 in the flat part ofthe plate.

What I claim is:

A pallet comprising top and bottom plates and means spacing said plates,said spacing means including hollow projections depending from both saidplates with the top plate projections nested in said bottom plateprojections to reinforce said bottom plate projections which constitutesupporting feet, said top plate projections being longer than saidbottom plate projections to space said plates and to receive the feet ofanother pallet in stacked relation.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,544,657 3/1951Cushman 108-53 3,140,672 7/1964 De Luca 108--53 3,187,691 6/1965 Leitzel10858 3,199,468 8/1965 Sullivan 10853 3,199,469 8/1965 Sullivan 108-53F. B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Examiner.

G. O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner.

